My heart is an empty gun
by SNevaeh
Summary: Goku and Bra were both drifting through the galaxy, without a goal, without a purpose, until Goku proposes a little trip he needs for closure. Reluctantly, Bra agrees. To much more than she had expected.


**AN: **Just a quick note: I re-wrote chapter 1, since I didn´t like the first version at ALL. It is basically the same as before content-wise, but the atmosphere is completely different. I recommend reading it again, since the changes are important to the rest of the story.

And here the previous author´s note:

I´m back at the rare pairs! I knew one day I had to write another Bra/Goku story. The pairing has potential, but what I´ve seen most writers want to explore the highly problematic side of the huge age difference and Bra being barely legal. Which is fine, but not my cup of tea. So, quite differently from the other one I wrote ('Sedated', if interested) this one here will be a little more light-hearted. There are no warnings and the characters are all well into adulthood.

Have fun!

* * *

Easy on the eyes

Truth is like a loaded gun

You don't wanna point that thing round here

Make all of your skeletons appear

_Bishop Briggs – Pray (empty gun)_

* * *

"…and can we go over the info on the Tolyranians again? I´m not so sure if we should stress the profit they´ll make quite that much."

Bra sighed softly while she watched her brother fret. "Calm down, Trunks. They´re meeting with us for the profit, they´ll bare to talk about it."

Trunks looked at her worriedly, but finally nodded and switched off his tablet. "I don´t want to mess it up. It´s important."

"You won´t, just like all the other times. We´re doing well." She patted his shoulder and he finally deflated and gave her a short sideways hug.

"Ok. Good. Don´t stay up too late."

Bra waited until her brother left her hotel room before she slouched down on her chair and exhaled loudly. When their family had started expanding their business into outer space, it had seemed like the perfect idea. And in many ways, it was. Bra knew her mother had been delighted with all the tech that finally found its way to Earth _easily_ and with the trademark tech from Capsule Corp, something completely unique in the galaxy so far, they became big players in the grand market immediately. It was only natural for the rest of the family to jump in and support the endeavor. Bra and her brother had been on promotion tour for months, with her brother leading the negotiations and Bra doing the research beforehand. Which was fine for her, if it wasn´t… for the fact that Trunks desperately needed an emotional outlet. And since his wife didn´t travel with them, it was left to Bra to listen to all his doubts and problems and trying to soothe them. If she was honest though, she would love to tell him to shut his damn mouth for just one day. As much as she loved him, he exhausted her. Rubbing over her face, she sat up and eyed her tablet. The work was fine, right. She got to see the galaxy. But besides that… she knew that they had laid the groundwork and that her presence wasn´t all that necessary anymore. It was probably time to put an end to it.

"Sorry Trunks", she mumbled when she got up to get herself a drink.

The next day, Bra was sitting in one of the open spaced cafés in the space station where the meeting was held. As far as she knew the space stations were neutral ground. They had existed before Freeza, as some kind of travel stop. Some people actually lived on them, though for Bra artificial daylight would never be a good enough substitute for the real thing. It was bad for the complexion anyway.

The pancake shaped stations had the energy core in the middle of the structure, surrounded by the quarters. Where it was safest, she figured. An office area followed, this one even with an actual university and on the outskirts followed the shopping district, the hangars and the reception. From where she was sitting, she could see the stars through one of the circular windows. It did look… kind of comforting. Everything was clearly worn down, even the table she was sitting at had some scratches and little breaks in the grey plastic material. Though it was all well cared for, the bright pattern of the floors, the functional wall plaiting, everything down to the service robots. Artificial light wasn´t great, but she felt a certain kind of comfort she had never felt on Earth. _At home._

"Hey! Bra!"

Bra shot up in her chair, completely taken by surprise. She didn´t know anyone who would address her that casually who wasn´t currently on Earth and she whipped her head around, trying to figure out who had screamed at her. And there she saw him, jogging towards her. She should´ve known.

"Hey Goku." She lifted her hand shortly and Goku quickly crossed the last few meters before he let himself drop down on one of the chairs opposite her. Not that she had offered…

"What´s up with you, all grumpy? Isn´t Bulma´s grand scheme working out that well?" He laughed boisterously while Bra tried to get rid of the small frown that clung to her forehead.

"What?"

Goku looked at her with big eyes, but when she didn´t answer, he pointed behind her back. She turned around where a huge ad for Capsule Corp. was blinking on the wall. Right. "Aren´t you working for your mum?"

"Yeah I am. It´s fine. Didn´t sleep well."

He nodded, and awkward silence started to spread again. After clearing her throat she grabbed her cigarettes out of her bag simply to get rid of the awful atmosphere and without even thinking about it she offered him one as well. The look he gave her… she wouldn´t forget that one in a while. She didn´t even try to fight the wide grin that appeared on her face.

"I think it´s the first time anyone offered me one of those things…" he said with a disgusted grimace.

Bra couldn´t stop giggling, which made it hard lighting her cigarette. She finally gave up and held it in her hand, a bright smile still plastered over her face. "And here you are my mum´s oldest friend…" Cocking her head, she said: "What are you doing here anyway? Got some friends on the station?"

He shrugged, looking away. "Not really. Haven´t visited this one yet, so I thought I could stay for a night or something. You?"

"Well…" She gestured vaguely behind her. "Promoting. My brother is currently doing his best to butter up a potential asset."

The confusion on Goku´s face almost popped up in bright letters above his head so she waved her hand around and said: "We want to work with them."

"Ah. I see. And everyone is fine back home? Bulma and Vegeta? Didn´t you… weren´t you married?"

Now she took the time to light the cigarette. This was going in an unpleasant direction. "No. My brother is married and has three kids. Fourth is in the making, I guess." She took a drag, looking for the window again. How was it possible to be so far away and still haunted by all the shit she tried to leave behind?

"You were dating Goten. I forgot."

He sounded somber and she looked back to him with a tight smile. They hadn´t been very public with their relationship, and Goku didn´t seem like an observant person, or a _present_ one. "Yes. Past tense. We ended it before I started the tour here."

Another soft nod. "He didn´t tell me."

"Were you on Earth for that to happen?"

That earned her a dirty stare, one she hadn´t expected Goku to dish out.

"I was. Had to sign my divorce papers."

Her eyes widened for a moment. Goten hadn´t mentioned that little information about his parents, but then again… they had only screamed at each other for the last two month of their… _relationship_. "Sorry."

"No need." He waved it away. "I guess we both needed some time away from home, eh?"

She smiled, a little forced. "I guess." After taking another drag she said: "Wanna grab something to eat with Trunks and me? He should be back in a few minutes."

"Sounds good." The polite small talk that followed turned a lot more casual after Trunks joined them. Thank god.

* * *

_3 months later_

* * *

A few of the bulkheads of station 771.23 had been re-utilized as viewing spots, with some compartmented cushions and a nearby food stall, perfect to just let your thoughts drift while looking at the stars… though Bra did use the spots to smoke in peace and watch the comings and goings of the ships in the hangar. She wasn´t interested in the big ones, those were heavy transporters, either for cargo or people. No, she wanted to see how the smaller ones performed in the crowded area, get an idea what she should get for herself. Right after the meeting with the Tolyranians, she had told Trunks that she was done with promoting for now. He had been disappointed, followed quickly by bouts of anxiety, which led to Bra reminding him of his family at home that he could maybe visit. She also had a report prepared showing him that they could stop their tour immediately and it would make no difference on their sales, which had done the trick in the end. Rolling her eyes at the thought, Bra eyed the ships again. It had been a few weeks in which she had had to use the public transportation system. It was… fine, probably, but it also forced her on designated stops, something she wanted to avoid. Her own ship it was, then. She hadn´t flown one until now, but she was quite good with machines, as was everyone in her family, so she was confident she would figure it out. And it kept her from taking a company ship, the ones with the big CC logo on them…

Eventually, a white ship with red writing caught her eye. It wasn´t pretty, but it was very agile. While she looked down to take a note, she noticed something from the corner of her eye. Someone. Snapping her head up, he looked right at her at the same moment and there was no way they could pretend they hadn´t seen each other now. Frowning, she nodded slowly before she finished writing down the name and model of the ship. A few seconds later, Goku stopped next to her, his face indicating he wasn't so sure about this either.

"Hey again. This galaxy is kinda small."

Bra smiled tight lipped and said: "I guess." She took a drag from her cigarette and he eyed her with blatant disgust. It only made her blow out the smoke even slower.

"Working again?" He moved from one leg to the other but he hadn't sat down. When she looked up, she shrugged. "No. We finished three weeks ago and I`m…" She waved her hand around, spilling ash on her tablet. "Traveling. There´s a lot to see. You?"

"Same."

She waited for a few seconds, but when nothing else followed, she coughed softly and took another drag of her cigarette before throwing the stump away. Time to end this misery. "Well then, if you know any good places, feel free to recommend me some." She smiled at him, ready to get up, when he leaned on the other side of the pod. He was staring out the window, but she saw his jaw working. Rubbing the ash away from her tablet absentmindedly, she wondered if it was rude if she simply left him here.

"Why did you and Goten split up?"

"Excuse me?" She frowned, but he was still not looking at her. If he came all the way here to throw accusations around he came to the wrong person!

"I`m just…" He looked up again and Bra was taken aback for a second by how… hollow he looked. "You looked so good together. Goten doesn´t talk much to me about stuff like that, I was surprised when you… what you said last time. That´s all."

She nodded, rubbing over her legs. Yeah, they had _looked good._ They had felt good, also, all the times spend in bed had been amazing, but then they tried to go a step further, being a _real couple_, whatever that meant and then… then they found out how rotten they actually were.

"I don´t want to talk about it."

Goku frowned and said: "Why not?"

"You already know which side you´re on and I`m not going to be your punching bag!" She jumped up from her spot, grabbed her things and stormed off. He didn´t follow her, at least.

* * *

Later that evening, he flopped down on the other chair at her table without a warning. Bra almost choked on her steak and it was the only reason she didn´t start screaming at him right away.

"You got me wrong earlier. I didn´t want to blame you for anything, I simply wanted to know what´s going on."

Bra was barely done coughing when she threw a dirty stare in his direction. "Ask Goten and leave me alone!"

Rolling his eyes, he leaned back in the chair, his eyes wandering over the other people in the small restaurant before they landed back on her. "I don´t want to go back to Earth right now."

"Then why did you break up with Chichi? You _looked so good together." _To be honest, Bra had always thought of Chichi and Goku as the perfect couple. They obviously loved and supported each other and their children while making sure everyone was cared for and she had never seen them scream at each other as her own parents did with passion. Though she had been told that it hadn´t been all that peachy all the time, she still couldn´t shake her own personal image of them.

Goku huffed, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "I don´t know why you´re so hostile. We barely spoke a few words."

"Why are you evading the question, then?"

"Why are you?" he shot back without hesitation.

She pursed her lips. He knew. He knew why! Taking a shaky breath she said: "Every time Goten and I were together we figured out new ways to hurt each other. I don´t know why. I didn't want to figure it out. There was no sense in… torturing ourselves." She threw her fork on the table, feeling her chest tighten. It still felt as if it was her fault, somehow, and she hated it so much!

"Chichi… found someone else."

Startled, Bra´s head snapped up. "What?"

He shrugged, his hand playing restlessly with the napkin on the table. "She already had this speech prepared about how our differences got bigger than our similarities and how her life wasn´t over yet and whatnot…"

"What did you do?" Bra felt a morbid curiosity rise up in her. He wouldn´t have hurt her, would he? The great savior of the universe wouldn´t have…

"I asked her what I had to do, packed my stuff and left. She already made up her mind, right?"

Exhaling the breath she had held, she nodded softly. Maybe he had wanted to know if his son was fine with his earlier question. Maybe he had wanted confirmation that he had done the right thing. But… he definitely felt just as fucked up as she did right now.

"Get up."

He eyed her, confusion clear on his face. "For what?

"You´ll see."

Not even half an hour later they were standing at a viewport in a rundown part of the station. It was quiet, a little too hot and humid, the light not working properly. Maybe a little dangerous with the lack of other people, if she was honest, but especially with Goku by her side that wasn´t much of a concern anymore. Handing him the small bottle she had bought a few minutes earlier she grabbed her cigarettes again. He eyed her while he took a sip and grimaced. She hadn´t bought the weak shit.

"You know that´s bad for your health?"

Bra blew out the smoke, making it dance around her face. "I´m aware."

"What now?" He took another sip, at least. Bra leaned on the railing, her gaze wandering over the view of the milky way. On this side, barely any ships passed through and the stars shimmered in the sky like little jewels.

"I noticed this spot here a few days ago. It makes me feel tiny, insignificant."

"I don´t see how that´s a good thing." He nudged her arm and she took the bottle back, taking a long sip. She wanted to get drunk as quickly as possible.

"It is. Everyone is expecting so much of us, all the time, but when I stand here… I´m as unimportant as I want to be. No one cares. No one judges. It´s just me."

She felt his gaze on her, contemplating. Finally, he leaned on the railing as well, taking the bottle from her. "Is getting drunk helping with that?"

Bra smiled, eyeing him from the corner of her eyes. "Yes. Tremendously."

They didn´t talk much for the rest of the evening and Bra barely remembered getting back to her room. He was gone the next day which was fine by her. There wasn´t anything else left to say anyway.

* * *

Bra spotted him a couple months later, in the food district of one of the popular travel stops. He had noticed her of course, even if he pretended not to. The galaxy was damn tiny after all.

"Can´t get rid of you it seems," she said when she was in earshot.

Goku did look a little better. His eyes had gained a little life back, so maybe… he got over Chichi and her new boyfriend. Raising an eyebrow she waited for a reply.

"Aren´t you a cute little cockroach yourself?" he said, grinning.

"Wha…?" She frowned, not quite sure what to make of _that. _"Anyway, I wanted to grab something to eat, wanna tag along?"

He looked around and she wondered briefly if maybe he was meeting with someone when he nodded and pushed her shoulder to get her going. "I know a place."

"That´s good, I only arrived a couple hours ago."

He held on to her shoulder while they tried to get through the crowd and somehow… she didn´t like getting touched. But she was okay with this. He felt secure.

"Do you like seafood?"

Startled, she looked up at his face. "Yeah, it´s fine."

"The best in the galaxy." And there it was, the beaming smile she had remembered. Involuntarily, she smiled right back.

* * *

"I… I had wanted to ask you something. If we met again."

Bra put her glass down, interest peaked. They had just finished and he hadn´t lied, the food had been damn delicious and put her in a brilliant mood. "Yeah? Do you want to get drunk again? I know I´m good company for getting wasted." She laughed although it wasn´t even that funny. It was rather sad maybe. Hm.

"No, I… you have a ship, right?"

"Yes. You wanna borrow it?"

He nodded slowly. "Something like that. You mentioned you wanted to buy one last time. And I need to get somewhere."

"Why not teleport? Isn´t that your thing?"

Goku smiled tight-lipped. "It doesn´t work like that. I need someone´s ki for it."

"Ok. Where do you want to go? I mean, you obviously don´t want to ask one of your friends, so…"

He crossed his arms and Bra immediately felt her good mood drop. Something was going on and she suspected she wasn´t going to like it.

"Vegeta-sei." He eyed her with a hard stare and she felt her head spinning with confusion. That… didn´t make any sense!

"Vegeta-sei is destroyed or did I get something wrong? I thought dad had mentioned something like that, like Freeza destroying his home planet and everyone on it? Right?"

Goku nodded. Wonderful.

"Do you even know where it is? Did you… does dad know? What is this about?" She started getting louder and a few passing people were staring.

He rubbed over his face and groaned, which made her even more furious. What was he annoyed about now?

"Bra, there´s no plot or whatever. Everything is falling apart somehow and I thought… I thought if we ran into each other again, we could visit the place where it all started. I thought… you felt the same, maybe."

"Like what?" She was trying to get her heartbeat under control again. It had been so nice until now.

"Lost. Something like that."

She snorted but… he wasn´t completely wrong. She didn´t feel quite as liberated as she had hoped yet. She wasn´t sure if visiting Vegeta-sei would change that though.

"Vegeta doesn´t know. I didn´t plan on telling him. Didn´t know why I should."

"Hm. Do you know where Vegeta-sei was?"

He shook his head. "No, but I know a few people who could find out. I just need a ship. And a driver." He grinned, but it didn´t look nice.

Eyeing their table for a while she finally pushed her chair back and got up. "I´ll think about it. I don´t know. I… I don´t know if that´s a good idea."

"Do you want my number?"

Bra laughed, humorless and took his communicator to enter her number. Weird things were happening every day and the galaxy was just spinning round and round its center not giving a shit.

* * *

**AN: **I´m planning on updating this story for now. It should be a shorter one, but I don´t want to estimate chapters since I`m always wrong. It _will_ go into a different direction than I initially planned. I wanted it to be super lighthearted at first, but I finally realized that that´s not my thing and it was sooo boring to write haha. So there will be more angst to keep my attention and hopefully it will make it a more compelling reading experience haha.

See you next time!


End file.
